Piston ring



EARL G. YOUNG'-, 0F DECATUR, ALABAMA; ELIZA YOUNG ADMINISTRATm 0F lSAIDG. YOUNG, .DECEASED. i

i Hsien RING.

aipneation med April 1go,

My invention relates to improvements in piston rings, and it consists ofthe constructions, combinations .and arrangements herein described. andc aimed. 1 f

An yobject oft e invention is to provide a piston -ring with such anarrangement of ductsand ports as to feed back such oil as en- Y' tersthe ring groove froxntheA cylinder wall ing fouling of the spark plugand providing adequate lubrication for the wrlst pln.

Another object` of the invention is to provide a piston ring which willconform to an irregular configuration of the engine cyl inder in amanner` fully disclosed below.

Another object of the invention is to provide a piston ring having anovel structure at the adjacent ends for presenting la, good joint whenthe ring is in place.

Other objects and advantages appear in the following specification,reference being had to the accompanying drawing, in which:-

Figure 1 is a sectional 'view of enough of a piston to illustrate theapplication of several of the improved rings.\ Figure 2 is a sectiontaken substantially on the line 2-2 of Figure 1,

Figure 3 is section` vtaken on the line ..3-3 of Figure 2 showing theoriginal shape f 4 for the purpose.

of the ringbefore conformation to the cylinder wall, Y Y

Figure 4 is a similar view showing the shape of the ring afterconformation, Figure 5 is a side elevation of the ring illustrating theparticular joint, and

Figure 6 is a detail plan view of enough of the ring to again.illustrate the adjacent joint.

In carrying out the invention provision is made of a ring 1 which inpractice may be made of such metal as 'is usually employed Three of therings are ordinarily used on an engine piston such as illustrated. at 2in Figure l1. .A The piston operates in the engine cylinder 3, and inaccordance with practice is slightly spaced from the cylinder wall.

This space is closed, so to 1924. seria1 No. 705,575.

piston rings in the grooves 4, 5 and6. These grooves are so arrangedthat the lowermost grooves. 5 and 6 are respectively situated onopposite sides of the wri'stpin 7. -This is the pin to which theconnecting rod of the engine is joined. A

Attention is Arst directed to' the ring 1 in the groovel 5. According tothe original manufacture of the ring the periphery is so. dished at 8 asto produce opposite edges 9 and 10 of considerable sharpness andrelative weakness, and 'toleave a central upthis rib is not sharp likethe edges 9 and 10 but is left slightly flat, as indicated at 12.

It is intended that lthe edges 9 and 10 and the rib 11 shall be worndown upon initially burning in the piston ring. This ismore fullydescribed later in connection with Figure 2. There is usually enoughroom in the s,

groove 5 for a slight play of the piston ring during the reciprocationof the piston. This action of the' ring'is taken advantage of inreturning the. oil from the groove 5 into the direction of the crankcase. For this purpose the ring 1 has a plurality of ducts 13 whichtraverse the ring and communicate with ports L4 directed downwardly atplaces adjacent to the edge 10. Oil entering the grdove 5 instead ofbeing pumped out over the upper edge of the ring upon an upstroke of thepiston.`will be. forced into the ducts 13 and out of the ports 14 backto the wall of the cylinder 3.v This action prevents the entrance of oilinto the working chamber of the enginel with 'the result that there Willbe no accumulation of sootaround the electrodes of the spark plug.

It is to be observed that this specially made ringis situated in thegroove 5 immediately above the Wrist pin 7. There is a purpose in doingthis. The ring 1 functions tokeep a supply of oil on the cylinder wallinthe region adjacent to the .ends of standing rib 11.4 The peripheralsurface of the pin 7. There will, therefore, always be avsupply of oilfor the wrist pin. It is not particularly necessarythat the other,Arings in the grooves- 4 and 6 be rovided -with oil ducts and ports.These rlngs are identical with the Aring 1 with the exception of suchduets and ports, and are intended to function the same so far'as theself-conforming feature is concerned.

All of the rings have joints as illustrated speak, by the 'in Figures 5and 6. Of necessity each ring 110 v is split. The adjoining ends of thering 1 the (Fig. 5) are cut away to form steps 15. The steps fittogether when the ring is fully compressed. Three steps are shown oneach end, but more or less may be employed if deemed advisable.

The uppermost step on the left side of opening (Fig. 5) is closed by awall 16. imllarly, the lowermost step on the right is closed by a wall17. The remainin and central steps extend through the fu thickness ofthe ring. Those steps opposite the walls 16 and 17 are reduced inthickness so .that they may lit in the spaces left by the walls. Byvirtue of this arrangement the diagonally opposite steps really p-roducetongues which occup the s aces left b the walls 16 and 17. y p y Theoperation. Consider first the self-conforming feature ofthe piston ring.The description of the action of one ring will suiiice for all beca usethe action is the same in each instance. Figure 2 shows a part of anengine cylinder 3 in which the wall has been worn out of shape by theaction of the iston. The bore 18 is enlarged at 19, there y presentingan oval rather than a circular piston opening. Th1s disfiguration of thebore usually occurs 1n a plane at right angles vto the axis of theengine shaft, and is commonly attrlbuted to the slapping of the pistonagainst the cylinder.

Upon .fitting the improved piston ring upon a piston 2 in an oldcylinder the joint Fi 5), is brought together fully as shown igure 2. lObviously there will be places where the ring touches'the bore and otherplaces where spaces occur. This is due to the disfigurationA of thebore.

lt is now that the sharp edges 9 and 10 and the relatively narrow rib 11function. Upon operating the piston for a short time, 1t .will be foundthat the relatively thin edges v9 and 10 and the ribs 11 will wear downat the sides 18 (Fig. 2) of the bore until they assume a shape somewhatas shown in Figplacements are made inold 4ure 4. This wear. continuesuntil the ring "hasnexpanded suciently to completely fill the space atlthe oval places 19.

The engine" will be found to work hard at first. This is due to thewearing action which is going on -upon the piston rings.

As soon as the-wearing action is over the engine will be found to workeven better than usual because( the spaces at the places 19, whichordinarily ermit the loss of compression, will be nice y lled. Theforegomg action occurs largely when rlng reengines. There of the is notso much occasion for self-conforma` ment actually causes a pumping ofoil from one groove to the next, finally discliar 'ng above the pistoninto t-he working cham er. It is the presence of oil that causes a smokyexhaust and a fouling of spark plugs.

Pumping of oil will be prevented at that one of the grooves in which arin having ducts 13 and ports 14 is situate It is, therefore, preferablethat a ring of this particular kind be placed in the groove 5immediately above the wrist pin 7. The reader` can readily imagine thering 1 as riding upward in -the groove 5 upon a down stroke piston 2.

Such riding of the ring willv scrape oil from the cylinder wall. The oilwill naturally tend to enter the groove 5 from be' neath. Upon the next.and upward stroke of the piston the ring 1`. 'will ride downward. Thetendency will be to squeeze the oil up.- ward in the groove 5. -Were itnot'for the presence of the ducts 13 this oil would actually escape atthe top and-by a recurrence of the foregoing actioirwould finally escapeabove the ring in the4 groove 4 and ultimately enter the workingchamber.

However, the ducts 13 and ports 14 immediately stop suchtendencyibecause'the oil will escape at these places and again reach thecylinder. wall. It is conceivable that considerable oil will besecreteibetween the rings in the grooves 5 and 6,:thus providing'a goodsupply of oil for theends of the wrist pin 7.

While the construction and arrangement" of the'improved piston.- ring asherein described and claimed is that of a. generallyv preferred form,obviouslymodications and `changes may be made .v[ithout departing fromthe spirit'` oftheemventlon Aor the scope of the claim. p

I claim A piston ring having a. peripherally dished surface diverginglysloping outward and producing relatively vsharp and thin edges atopposite sides of'the rin a'centrall peri heral rib at the balseof theish having a re atively narrow elliptical surface, said ring having aplurality of ductsl traversing it below the rib, the outer ends'of saidducts i terminating in downwardly extendin ports which extend throughthe adjacent thin edge to provide Yanunobstructmi oil outlet.

`EARL e. YOUNG.`

